Jaipur, July 8 -- Chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said on Monday that Rajasthan is endowed with abundant mineral resources and holds immense potential for mining. The judicious use of these resources will not only strengthen the state's economy but also boost local employment and regional development, he added. "The government is not only focused on revenue generation through mining but is also emphasising maintaining a balance between mining and environmental sustainability. Due to excellent coordination between the central and state governments, unprecedented work is being done in the mining sector in the state." Sharma and Union minister of coal and mines G Kishan Reddy were jointly reviewing the functioning of the mines department at the chief minister's residence on Monday. During the meeting, the CM emphasised identifying new mineral blocks in view of the immense potential of the state's mineral wealth and speeding up the auction process. He directed officials to coordinate with the central government to expedite environmental clearances in this sector to ensure time-bound mining operations. The CM said that Rajasthan has 82 types of metallic and non-metallic minerals, out of which 57 types are currently being mined. The state's mineral wealth is both valuable and rare, and hence should be widely promoted to attract more industrial investment. He directed the department to amend rules, where necessary, to promote mining innovations, and to study the best practices being adopted by other states in this field. Union minister Reddy said, "Rajasthan is a mineral-rich state with significant potential in valuable and rare minerals." He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is laying special emphasis on systematic and accelerated mining of rare minerals to promote the green energy sector in the country. In this regard, Rajasthan's role becomes even more crucial. The Union minister praised the efforts of the state government and instructed officials to adopt a proactive approach to attract even more investment in this sector. Earlier, principal secretary, mines, T Ravikant gave a detailed presentation covering major revenue sources in the mining sector, auction of blocks and their mining potential, as well as issues related to DMFT, NMET, and other coal and mining matters in the state. During the meeting, the CM presented a memento to Reddy as a token of welcome and appreciation. Senior officials from various departments of the central and state governments were also present on the occasion....